Oven and conveying system therefor



A. G. J. RAPP OVEN AND (/ONVEYING SYSTEM THEREFOR Marchl 23 Filed March 27, 1925 $5 S l) Patented Mar. 23, 1926..

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AXEL G. J. my, or cHIAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIGNoR To LINK-BELT COMPANY, OF

OrIIcAGo, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

OVEN` AND CONVEYING SYSTEM El*IEIElEtIllOlR'.

Application led March 27, 1925. Serial No. 18,796.

/ing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements'in ovens such as core ovens, enamel ovens and the like, andto conveying mechanisms and systems whereby the material to be treated in the oven is fed in gradually, successive articles being moved in step by step and moved step'lby step through the oven, and then discharged therefrom. This invention relates particularly to ovens of large size where the separate articles themselves are of large size and wherein a relatively large mass t f material must move, and has for one object to provide means whereby such masses of material may be moved through the oven step by step with a minimum of power and delay. Another object is to provide a conveyor comprising a series of separate c rs on a track moved forward step by stp by pushing trains of cars in opposite directions; and to provide means whereby cars may bc fed to and withdrawn from various lines or` trains to permit control and manipulation.

The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawing, wherein the figure shows a vertical section through the oven with the conveying system in elevation.

A is an oven, in this case a core oven although it might be used for other purposes and might merely be a dryer. The oven is heated by hot air or gases from a furnace A1, which gases pass up through a Hue A2 into the oven and out through a discharge flue A3. Means and arrangement for heating the oven are of no consequence to this present invention.

B, B are frame members contained within the oven and carrying horizontal tracks B1, B2, B3, B4, B5. B6 is a horizontal track on the bottom floor of the oven, extending out through the discharge tunnel B7 and eX- tending a considerable distance beyond the end of the oven. BS is a supporting framework outside the oven carrying an extension of the track B1 which extends along the upper portion of the oven out through an intake tunnel B".

The tracks B1 to,B all terminate short of the end of the oven and have associated with them a lowerator C. This lowerator comprises a cage having short track members C1 C2 C3, there being but three of them on the lowcrator to co-operate with six tracks in the furnace. C11 is a hydraulic or pneumatic-ram adapted to raise or lower the lowerator, and C12 buffer springs adapted to cushion it on its downward movement. It will be noted that the space between the tracks C1 and C2, and C2 and C3 is equal to the distance between the tracks B6 and B4, and Bts and B3, and B4 and B2, or B2 and B1, so that when the tracks C1 C2 C3 are at the upper limit of the excursion of the lowerator they are in line with the tracks B1 B3 B5, and at the `downward limit in line with the tracks B2 B4 B2. The tracks B2 B2' B1 and B5 also terminate short of the other end of the furnace and are associated with a lowerator C4 operated by a similar hydraulic or pneumatic ram or cylinder C5, and carrying tracks C6 C2, the spacing between these two tracks being the same as the spacing between the tracks C1 C2 or C2 C3 and the arrangement being such that the tracks C1 C7 may be in line with the tracks B3 B5 or B2 B4. C8 is an elevator having a single track C1 operated by a ram or cylinder C10, and this track C may be moved into line either with the track B1 or with the track BG.

rlravelling along all of the tracks is a series of cars or trams D mounted on wheels or rollers D1 engaging the track elements. These cars abut end to end and there is such a number of them that each track is at all times filled from end to end with these abutting cars. There are also three additional trams or cars and with the parts in the position shown in the drawings, one of these cars will be on the track C2 on the elevator C8 and one of the cars will be on each ofthe tracks C C7 of the loweratorCt. D2 is a hydraulic lor pneumatic ram or cylinder with a pusher head D3 adapted to engage thejend of the car on the track C2 and'to pushl all the cars on the track C9 and B1 forward. When this is done the car will be pushed off the elevator C8 and onto the track C1 on the `line with the tracks B2 and B5.

lowerator C. D1 D5 are hydraulic or pneumatic rams having pusher heads Da D7 adapted to engage the cars on the tracks C5 C7 on the lowerator C2, and push these cars and the cars on the tracks B3 B5 respectively as a unit forward to bring the end cars on these two tracks onto the tracks C2 C2 on the lowerator C. Preferably these three hydraulic rams D2 D4 D5 will be operated in unison and all the cars on the tracks B1 B3 B5 will be moved forward to the right one car length, after which the hydraulic rams will withdraw, leaving the elevator C8 and the lowerator C4 empty and the lowerator C loaded. Meanwhile the cars on the track B2 B* and B6 will remain at rest. The lowerator track C with its load of cars will then drop down one step bringing the car which has just left the track B1 into line with the track B2, the car which has just left the track B3 into line with the cars on the track B4 and the car which has just left the track B5 into line with the cars on the track B5. Meanwhile, the empty elevator C8 will drop down and bring its track C9 into line with the track B5 and the empty lowerator C4 will move up bringing its track C5 into line with the track B2 and its track C5 into line with the track B4. When the elevator and the two lowerators are in the new position the hydraulic rams D2g D9 D10 will be operated to force the pressure heads D11 D12 D:L3 against the three cars on the lowerator C and push them o onto the tracks B2 B4 and B5 thus pushing the whole train forward and loading the lowera'tor C1 and the elevator C5. Meanwhile the cars on the tracks B1 B3 and B5 will be at rest. Then the elevator track C5 will raise the car which has just left the track C up into line with the cars on the track B1. The lowerator C will move the cars which have just left the tracks B2 and B4 down iio e lowerator C will move up so as to bring its track sections into line with the tracks B1 B3 and B5 ready for a repetition of the cycle. The result of this arrangement is that step by step each individual car is fed forward from the left hand end of the track B1 to the right hand end, dropped down to the track B2 fed back in the left hand direction to the end of that track, dropped down to the track B2' fed to the right on that and, to the left on track B, to the right on track B5, to the left on track B6 out of the system.

E is a core machine or other mechanism adapted to place successive objects on the cars B which objects pass with the cars through the furnace and are taken of after leaving the furnace by the unloading machine E1.

Thus half of the cars inthe system are in motion at any one time and the other half are at rest either in the furnace or outside of it and` the movement of the cars is gradual and controlled, the train of cars or conveyor elements being separately moved in' straight line direction either parallel with or perpendicular to the tracks.

It will be evident that while I have shown in my drawings, an operative device, still many changes might be made in the size, shape and disposition of parts without departing materially from the spirit Vof my invention and I Wish, therefore, that my showing be taken as in a sense diagrammatic.

1. In a conveyor system, a plurality of parallel tracks, means for moving continuous trains of cars there along, means for moving each successive car as it passes beyond the end of a track into line with the next track and moving it there along in a reverse direction.

2. In a conveyor system, a plurality of parallel tracks, means for moving continuous trains of cars there along, means for moving each successive car as it passes beyond the end of a track into line with the next track and moving it there along in a reverse direction, the cars on each track always being moved in the same direction there along.

3. In a conveyor system, a plurality of parallel tracks, arranged one above the above the other, means for moving continuous trains of cars there along means for raising each successive car as it passes beyond the end of a track into line with the track next above and moving it there along in a reverse direction.

4f. In a conveyor system, a plurality of parallel tracks, cars arranged end to end on and movable along and completely filling each track, means for moving all the cars on each alternate track in one direction so as to force a car off the end of each such track, means for moving each car thus forced off a track into line with the next adjacent track and moving it on to such track to move all the cars thereon in a reverse direction and force a car off the end of each such track and means for moving each car thus forced off into line with the next adjacent track and repeating the movements in a reverse direction.

5. The combination with a housing of a plurality of parallel tracks arranged one above the other therein the top and bottom tracks extending out through the wall of the housing andan elevator in line with the outer ends of said track, the inner ends of said tracks and both ends of all the intermediate tracks terminating short of the Walls of the housing, lowerators arranged at the ends of said tracks having track sections adapted to be brought into line with the tracks, cars arranged on all said tracks extending from end to end thereof and filling them completely and in addition cars adapted to lie on the elevator tracks and loWe-rator tracks, there being one less car than the total number of elevator and lowerator tracks.

6. In a conveying system a plurality of parallel tracks, the outside tracks in the group being longer than the remainder of the tracks, a continuous series of cars filling all said tracks', a transfer table adapted to convey cars from one to the other of the outside tracks at the ends furthestremoved from the remainder of the tracks, transfer tables arranged adjacent to ends of all the shorter tracks and adjacent the other ends of the outside tracks, said tables being adapted to convey cars 4from one track to the next, there being half as many tables as there are tracks.

7. In a conveying system a plurality of parallel tracks the outside tracks in the group being longer than the remainder, a continuous series of cars filling all the tracks,

a transfer table adapted to convey cars from.,I one to the other of the outside tracks :at the ends furthest removed from the remainder of the tracks, transfer tables 4 arranged adjacent to thel ends of all the remainder of the tracks and adjacent the ends of the out side tracks, said tables being adapted to convey cars from one track to the next, there being half as many tables as there are tracks, and means located adjacent the transfer tables for engaging the cars thereon and forcing them of the transfer tables `on the tracks.

8. The process of treating materials which consist in propelling separate charges thereof through a treating zone in a step by step motion and feeding such charges in opposite directions in parallel vpaths and bodily displacing tlie charge from one path to the next as yeach charge reaches the end of such ath. 4 p 9. In a conveying system, a plurality of parallel tracks, a continuous series of cars illing all the tracks, a transfer means ada-ptcd to convey cars from one to' the other of theoutside tracks at the ends furthest removed from the remainder of the trac-ks, transfer means arranged adjacent the ends of all the remainder of the tracks and adjacent the ends of the outside tracks, said cars. from means being adapted to convey one track to the next.

10. In a conveying system, a plurality of parallel tracks, a continuous series of cars filling all the tracks, a transfer means adapted to convey cars from one to the other of the outside tracks at the ends furthest removed from the remainder of the tracks, transfer means arranged adjacent the ends of all the remainder of the tracks and adjacent the ends of the outside tracks, said means being adapted to convey cars from one track to the next, and means located adjacent the transfer means for engaging'the cars thereon and forcing them oli' upon the tracks.

11. Ina conveying system, a plurality of parallel tracks, a continuous series of cars filling all the tracks, a transfer means adapted to convey cars from one to the other of the outside tracks at the ends furthest removed from the remainder of the tracks, transfer means arrangedv adjacent the ends of all the remainder of the tracks and adjacent the ends of the outside tracks, said means being adapted to convey cars from one track to the next, and means located 'adjacent the transfer means for engaging the'cars thereon and forcing them olf upon the tracks, comprisirg pistons aligned with said tracks and transfer means.

12. In a conveyor system, a plurality of parallel tracks, cars arranged end to end on andU movable along and completely filling each track, means, operable in unison, for moving all of the cars on each track in one direction to'force .a car off the end of each such track, means operable in unison for moving each car thus forced olf of a track into line With the next adjacent track, and means, operable in unison, for moving such cars along such adjacent tracks to move all the cars on cach such track in a reverse direction and to force a car od the end of each such track and means for moving each such car thus forced olf into line with the next adjacent track and for repeating the movement on said adjacent track in a reverse direction.

Signed at Chicago, county of Cook and State of Illinois, this 24th day of March,

AXEL G. J. RAPP. 

